Grad Student Spotlight

Gabrielle Hillyer, a Master’s student in oceanography and marine policy, is putting her marine science education into practice by researching water quality issues within the Gulf of Maine in the hopes to improve the solvency of the soft-shell clamming industry. Hillyer studies the impact of bacteria in mudflats on the Medomak River in Waldoboro, Maine […]

Alumni Spotlight: Brianna Hughes “How much can you really do with a cranberry?” University of Maine alumna Brianna Hughes answers this question every day as an Innovation R&D Manager for Ocean Spray Cranberries. Finding ways to develop new products from cranberries could be daunting – but it’s a fun challenge for Hughes, who earned her […]

Graduate Student Spotlight: Gabrielle Hillyer, Diana Davis Spencer Scholar Gabrielle Hillyer is a duel-degree major in oceanography and marine policy. With support from the UMS Research Reinvestment Fund she has focused her research on the Medomak river estuary and its multiple impacts on local clamming. Her innovative research aims to understand the ability of the […]

Eric Roy graduated from UMaine in 2009 with a Ph.D. in oceanography. Roy is the founder of Hydroviv, a company that makes custom water filters. He recently appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank to pitch his product to the sharks — and won a $400,000 investment from Mark Cuban. Season 10, Episode 19: “Hydroviv is a Washington, […]

“An 80,000 word Ph.D. thesis would take 9 hours to present. Their time limit… 3 minutes.” Graduate students at the University of Maine competed in the annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) event on March 25. Participants follow guidelines set by the University of Queensland, the founders of the competition. The rules are simple: present research […]

International students at the University of Maine add diversity and enrich the learning experience for all students. They come from a multitude of backgrounds and are some of the best resources in campus to understand a foreign land and its culture. International researchers also richly contribute towards the growing global impact of UMaine research. Anwesha […]

Neuropathy research leads to cutting-edge medical device development Neuropathy (or the dying-back of nerve fibers) affects roughly 20 million people in the United States. Unfortunately, most people do not realize they have the disease until they experience symptoms such as pain, numbness and loss of limb control. In many cases, amputation can result. Current methods […]

Putting heart into cardiac research Jonathan Bomar joined the University of Maine Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (GSBSE) in the fall of 2014 after earning undergraduate degrees in geological sciences and psychology at Michigan State University. From Geological Sciences to Psychology to Biomedical Engineering – it’s safe to say Bomar’s curiosity is vast and diverse. […]

Nicklaus Carter has a lot of experience with tubes and pipes from his days working in construction. Now, he creates a different kind of pipe – a nanocellulose conduit – for use in the medical field. Carter, from Franklin, Maine, is a doctoral student in the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering. His love […]

James Elliott, a second-year Master of Science student in the School of Forest Resources from Danvers, Massachusetts, enjoys scuba-diving and collecting insects in his free time. “It’s like Pokémon but real,” said Elliott, who worked in the biotech industry before coming to UMaine. Elliott enjoys getting out of his comfort zone. When he had the […]

Ken Akiha researched effective teaching styles for his thesis work at the University of Maine to determine how teachers engage their students for entire class periods. Now, as an Earth science and computer science teacher at Old Town High School, he can apply his findings to his own teaching style. Akiha’s research had an important […]

Courtney Angelosante prepares Education majors with virtual classrooms and a wealth of expertise Stepping into a classroom to teach for the first time can be exciting and overwhelming. Education majors at the University of Maine have the unique opportunity to practice teaching in a lab space that provides the ability to pause and receive instant […]

Robert Boenish believes now is the time for fisheries and marine conservation efforts to become more sophisticated – and his research work at the University of Maine will contribute to the future of how we interact with the ocean. Growing up on a small island off the coast of Washington state, Boenish says his marine-related interests […]